


Beginnings

by Buffyworldbuilder



Series: The Power of Love and Friendship [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Smallville
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:26:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28592478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buffyworldbuilder/pseuds/Buffyworldbuilder
Summary: Buffy goes to Smallville to check out the school. While there she encounters one intrepid reporter and an alien disguised as human. When she saves Lex's life, events in Smallville will be changed forever.Disclaimer:  I do not own BTVS or Smallville.
Series: The Power of Love and Friendship [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2095119
Comments: 10
Kudos: 19





	1. First Encounters

**Author's Note:**

> I never wrote fanfiction when Smallville was on the air. Since Hulu started streaming Smallville, I finally got around to watching the first few seasons. I only begun watching Smallville after Lois was on the show. I know how the show ends and how bad Lex gets. As I watched season 1, I was drawn to the tragic figure of Lex Luthor. Like Clark, I know that there is good in him. I decided that he needed someone besides Clark to keep him from succumbing to the darkness inside of him. I’m assuming that Lex is 21 or 22 in season 1 of Smallville. This story takes place then. It is several months after season 7 of Buffy. The BTVS comics are ignored and not a part of this alternate world.

It had been about five months since Buffy had closed the hellmouth. She and the surviving potentials spent a few weeks with Angel in Los Angeles before Giles got control of the council funds. Luckily, she and Faith were paid quite well for their years of service. Buffy would never have to work again if she didn’t want to. Willow was gathering all the potentials in England. Buffy, though, was done. She’d given more than one life to slaying. She asked Willow to find her a place that needed her but had no hellmouth potential. 

Willow told her about Smallville, Kansas, a small town outside of the larger Metropolis. Buffy could attend school and finish her degree in psychology. Smallville had a lot of weird things happen that Willow said had no supernatural roots but extraterrestrial. A meteor shower had killed a lot of people over a decade earlier. Ever since then, the meteor rocks had weird effects on the populace—something the public officials were loath to admit. Only the high school paper ever seemed to point out the weird things that went on.

Buffy wanted to spend a semester focusing on school, so she was taking eighteen credits, which was the maximum she was allowed to take without special authorization. Then she would move to Smallville and bring Dawn back from overseas. It wasn’t easy being so far from her sister and friends. However, the absolute quietness of her new life brought her a peace and contentment that she hadn’t felt since her calling. Faith was taking over all the potentials. She had enough help with Robin and Xander—even Andrew. If a world ending event occurred, Buffy would step in and help. She’d even given Faith her scythe. Her friends had been upset at first, but they knew how much she needed a break.

Since Buffy didn’t really need a paycheck, she was hoping she might volunteer her services at the local high school. Robin had provided her a glowing letter of recommendation. The school had one overworked counselor that was busy with the academic side of things. Buffy was going to meet the counselor that morning and talk about her ideas for a mentorship. Then she was going to explore the town.

***** _Several Hours Later*****_

Clark was in the room were all the magic happened—according to Chloe. He was supposed to be finishing his article, but instead, he was daydreaming about Lana Lang. They’d been neighbors all his life, but he could never really talk to her since she kept that green meteor rock necklace on all the time. Clark didn’t know why it made him sick, but it did.

“Did you see the woman talking to Mrs. Powers?” Chloe asked excitedly.

“No,” Clark said.

Chloe rolled her eyes, not surprised. “I was following her as she was given a tour. I think she might start working here!” Chloe announced.

“Why? We haven’t lost a teacher, and we’re already in the middle of a semester,” Clark said, frowning.

“I don’t know! That’s why I want to meet her,” Chloe said.

“You could just go up and say hi,” Clark suggested.

Chloe rolled her eyes. “You are such a babe,” she said in disapproval. “There’s nothing investigative about that! To be a reporter, you got to be sneaky.”

“Miss Sullivan, I hope you are _not_ trying to convince Mr. Kent to do something against his conscience,” a voice said.

Both students looked up as the very people they were discussing stood in the doorway.

“Mrs. Powers!” Chloe said, jumping up. “We were just talking about you, actually.”

“Really?” the white blonde older lady said, giving the pair an indulgent smile.

“Chloe was just curious about your visitor,” Clark said, quickly.

“Clark!” Chloe said in disapproval.

The very pretty blonde woman laughed. “I’m Buffy,” she said, holding out her hand to Clark.

The woman had her hair pinned up, showing off a thin neck. Her green eyes were very pretty and kind. Clark automatically took her hand and was surprised when he actually felt her grip.

“That’s quite a grip you have,” Buffy said, impressed. Country boys were made stronger.

“Buffy? What kind of name is that? Family name?” Chloe asked.

“I work on a farm,” Clark said, ignoring Chloe.

“I’ve never been to a farm before,” Buffy said, glancing at Chloe. “I’m from California. Buffy is a Californian name.”

“This is where the school paper is printed. Miss Sullivan likes to focus too much on the negative things that happen in this town,” Mrs. Powers said in disapproval. 

“I don’t like to live with my head in the sand!” Chloe protested.

Mrs. Powers pointed to her wall of weird. “That display is a disgrace, Chloe! Other people’s misfortunes should not be an object of such open speculation!” she said.

“My wall of weird refuses to hide what’s really going on in this town!” Chloe said, not backing down.

Clark jumped in front of Chloe. “What Chloe means is she’s not trying to profit off of others’ bad luck. She just wants to tell their stories,” he said, giving Chloe a pointed look.

“I think it’s cool,” Buffy said, walking to the wall and reading some of her headlines. “My school was on, like, a hellmouth. So many bad things happened. One principal got eaten by wild dogs. At my graduation, the replacement principal was eaten by a giant snake. The town paper tried to say it was a gas leak.”

“An escaped anaconda? That’s possible. They get up to forty feet long!” Chloe said excitedly. “Do you have pictures? I’d love to see them!”

“Most students were too busy running for lives,” Buffy said dryly. “Five years ago, cell phones with great cameras weren’t the thing.”

The bell rang. “Well, I have to go,” Mrs. Powers said. “Chloe, why don’t you and Clark show Miss Summers out?”

“Sure,” Clark said.

“Miss Summers, I will definitely be calling you about your proposal,” she said, smiling warmly at Buffy.

As soon as Mrs. Powers left, Chloe asked, “What proposal?”

Buffy laughed, amused by the girl’s inquisitiveness. Dawn would so love this girl. “I want to volunteer here next semester. I’m getting my degree in psychology and want to start a mentoring program. I worked at the high school in my hometown and felt like I made a difference. Your counselor is really overworked.”

“That’d be amazing!” Chloe said, liking the woman. A fresh mystery to solve. “You can tell me all about your high school were principals have a short lifespan.” They walked out of the room, and Chloe led her down the now empty halls to the front of the school.

“You’re the reporter. It’s up to you to find out the details,” Buffy said, giving her a cheeky smile.

Chloe returned her smile, offended. “I live for a challenge,” she admitted. It was refreshing to meet someone that wasn’t put off by Chloe’s inquisitiveness.

“So, where’s your family, Buffy?” Clark asked. “Back in California?”

“Actually, my mom is in heaven—a brain aneurysm, and my dad is off with his secretary somewhere. My baby sister is in England with friends. She’ll be stateside in Ohio where some more friends live soon enough. I hope to have her join me here after Christmas,” Buffy shared.

“Oh, I’m sorry about your mom,” Clark said with sympathy.

“Me, too,” Buffy said. “But I know she’s in a better place.”

“That’s good,” Clark said.

“But how do you know? Reports on heaven are contradictory at best,” Chloe said, not able to turn off her reporter brain.

Clark gave a her a look. “Chloe, how about you try to not offend a woman we just met?” he suggested.

Closing the hellmouth and losing so much had given Buffy some prospective. The past few months had been a time of real self-reflection. “It’s fine. I don’t mind telling her why I know that my mother is in heaven,” Buffy said. “Because I died once and went there myself. Heaven is real. One day I will see her again.” Her words to Chloe were said with real conviction. It was what gave Buffy hope and strength to keep fighting. Her peace would be found once again one day. It was nice to think of her mother experiencing it now even though her loss was still a hole that would never be filled.

Chloe looked at Clark in surprise, not expecting Buffy’s answer. Before she could open her mouth to ask questions, Clark spoke. “I’m sure you will. I’m adopted myself. I don’t know anything about my birth family,” Clark offered up, hoping to distract Chloe from the invasive questions he knew were coming.

“Wow. I’m sorry to hear that,” Buffy said in sympathy.

“I’m not. My parents are great,” Clark said with a kind smile.

“Well, I appreciate you letting me see your wall of weird,” Buffy said. “I hope to see you both next semester.”

“Any time,” Chloe said as Buffy walked to her car parked in the visitor.

“She seemed nice,” Clark said as they watched her leave.

“She seemed full of secrets!” Chloe said excitedly.

“How so? She told us hers!” Clark argued.

“I know. So just imagine what she left unsaid!” Chloe told him. Then she slapped her forehead. “I can’t believe I forgot to ask her what the name of her school was in California! What a rookie mistake!”

Clark put his arm around her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Chloe. She may even have a sister attend here. You’ll learn all her secrets,” he reminded her. He grinned as he saw her expression brighten at the thought.

After school, Clark left Chloe regaling Pete about her newest story find while he walked home.

Buffy had parked her car rental in the middle of town and was taking her own leisure walk around the town, getting a feel for the place. Everyone was so friendly—it was weird but nice.

She saw a teen on the bridge and smiled as she recognized him as Clark Kent, one of three people she now knew in town. However, she saw a car on the hill speeding down toward them. There was something in the road that the driver didn’t see. Buffy knew an accident was about to happen. Clark seemed totally oblivious, so she took off running toward him. She knocked him down just as the car came over the bridge. The driver’s car hit the bridge’s rail, going over the side.

“Clark, are you okay?” Buffy asked, looking down at him.

“I’m fine,” Clark said, stunned. She’d come out of nowhere and hit him so hard that he could still feel it. The oddity of it shook him, but she was still in motion. She kicked off her shoes and threw her phone down. He stood up, realizing that she was about to dive off the bridge after the car.

“I’ve got to get that driver out of there!” Buffy exclaimed. Before he could say anything, she hit the water.

Clark followed her into the water without hesitation—his shoes were still on. Buffy was already at the car. Clark watched as she used her elbow to shatter the windshield. He swam up to help and pulled the door open. Clark recognized the bald head. Buffy pulled him toward Clark. Clark grabbed a hold of him and swam to the surface, Buffy right behind him. She and Clark pulled his head above water, but Lex didn’t stir.

Scared, Clark got out of the water first, pulling Lex after him. 

“Lie him flat,” Buffy ordered. Then she began CPR.

Lex Luthor spit out water as he took a deep breath. A beautiful woman had been breathing into him.

“Thank God!” she said in relief. “He should be okay.”

“Clark?” a voice shouted.

“Dad!” Clark exclaimed, jumping up and embracing the man.

“What happened, Clark?” his dad asked.

“I’m fine. Buffy came out of nowhere and knocked me away from the car. Then she dived into the water to pull out Lex. I helped her,” Clark said.

Lex sat up, trying to get his bearings. The woman smiled encouragingly at him. “Take slow deep breaths. You’re going to be okay,” she said.

“I bet you were speeding down the road again in that toy car of yours,” Mr. Kent said, frowning in disapproval.

“I guess so,” Lex said weakly.

“You could’ve killed my son!” Mr. Kent exclaimed angrily.

“Mr. Kent, this man almost died. Now is not the time for you to be yelling at him!” Buffy said in disapproval.

“Who are you?” Lex asked her.

Buffy stood and held out her hand. “I’m Buffy Summers,” she said. He took her hand and stood.

“I owe you my life,” Lex said, squeezing her hand. He let go and looked at Clark. “I’m Lex Luthor. I can’t thank you enough.”

“We know who you are,” Mr. Kent said. “Be more careful driving around.”

“There was something in the road he was dodging,” Buffy said in his defense.

Lex thought a minute. “Yes, a roll of barbed wire. I tried to miss it, and then that’s when I saw your son,” he said with a wince and look of regret. “I couldn’t stop.”

“It’s good that you were there, Buffy,” Clark said. He didn’t see her car. “How did you get here so fast?”

All three eyes were on Buffy, and she gave a sheepish smile. “I parked in the center of town and was exploring. I saw the car coming and ran,” she said. “I’m a fast runner.”

The ambulance finally arrived. “I don’t need an ambulance,” Lex said.

“You should get checked out. Make sure there’s no fluid in your lungs. I drowned once, so I know what I’m talking about,” Buffy said.

The three men looked at her in surprise. She reassured them. “I got better!” she said. “But I know that you were submerged in a lot more water than I was.”

“Were you in a swimming pool?” Clark asked, unable to stop from asking. He’d been spending too much time around Chloe.

“Clark,” Mr. Kent admonished.

“It’s okay. It was a long time. I was about your age, Clark. Sixteen,” Buffy said with a casual shrug. “And no, it wasn’t a pool. It was a fountain.”

The men all gave her looks of confusion and puzzlement, each trying to figure out how one would drown in a fountain. Only Lex jumped to the correct conclusion—someone had tried to kill her by holding her face in the water. Her casual mention of her brush with death sparked his curiosity.

The paramedic was insisting Lex get into the ambulance. He was hesitant to leave his beautiful rescuer who was full of intrigue.

“Will you be around?” Lex asked her.

“No. I have to go back to Metropolis. I have classes and a ton of homework,” she said. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks, Buffy,” Clark said, flashing her a warm smile.

“My pleasure. Pay more attention to your surroundings,” Buffy admonished. “I’ll see you next semester, I hope.”

“Thank you, Miss Summers,” Lex said. He reluctantly walked away from him rescuer, climbing into the ambulance.

“Take care of yourself,” Buffy said, giving him a smile and a wave. She was glad he went with the paramedic. He really had been in the water too long.

“Can I give you a ride?” Mr. Kent asked.

“Nah. I’m good. I’ll be seeing you,” she said. She waved and walked across the bridge.

The two men watched her for a moment. “So what really happened?” Jonathan Kent asked his son.

“It was just like she said. I was oblivious. She came out of nowhere and knocked me out of the way,” Clark shared. “You should’ve seen her, Dad. She didn’t hesitate. She threw her cell phone down and kicked off her shoes and dived. When I followed her, she was already at the car. She busted his car window with her elbow. I helped her open the door.”

“So, she didn’t see you use your powers?” his dad asked.

“No. She was the powerful one! She was incredible, Dad!” Clark said, obviously in awe of the woman.

“Lucky for all of us, she was there. No need getting Lex Luthor interested in your life,” Jonathan said. “So how did you meet this girl?”

“She’s going to start a mentorship program next semester, she said. Mrs. Powers introduced her to Chloe and me today. We walked her out after the bell rang and Mrs. Powers had to leave. Chloe gave her the third degree, and she didn’t even get annoyed. She was very patient with Chloe. I think she’s going to make a great counselor. Her program will probably help a lot of kids,” Clark said.

“That sounds nice,” Jonathan said. “Let’s get you home to change.”

Clark wasn’t sure how his day had gone so off the rails, but he had a feeling meeting Buffy and saving Lex was the beginning of something.

***** _Chapter End*****_

_If it’s been a while since you’ve seen the pilot episode of Smallville, I changed it just enough to make some huge changes. Not only did I insert Buffy in it as co-savior, but in case you didn’t catch it, there’s no reason for Lex to obsess over how Clark saved him. Buffy wisely used just enough strength to get Lex out without drawing suspicion. Reviews make me so happy, so please take a moment to review and let me know if you want to read more!_


	2. New Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of the time, I will not be attempting to borrow dialogue straight from episodes. I hope that doesn’t bother anyone, but since it’s been over a decade since this season was on the air, I figured it would not be a big deal.

***** _A Week Later*****_

Lex Luthor tried once again to read the report in front of him. He managed a few minutes before images of his near death and his two saviors intruded. The Kent boy, though, wasn’t the one who occupied most of his time. He’d sent the young savior a gift to show his thanks. However, the woman who brought him back to life didn’t live in Smallville. She intrigued him like no woman ever had. He saw both sorrow and strength in her gaze, and it haunted him.

“Lex!” a voice called out. He looked up and saw Clark Kent.

“Clark. Good to see you!” Lex said, standing to greet him.

“This is some place you got here, Lex,” Clark said, looking around in awe.

“Yes, it’s more of a museum than a home,” Lex said.

“Some home,” Clark said with a grin.

Lex couldn’t help but respond to the teen’s genuine enthusiasm and warm mile. “What brings you by? Did you get the gift I sent you?” he asked.

Clark looked uncomfortable as he held up the key chain. “I came to return the truck. Thanks, but I can’t keep it,” Clark said.

“Do you not like it? I can get you something else. It’s the least I can do for the guy who helped save my life,” Lex said.

“No, I love it. It’s great. My dad won’t let me keep it, though,” Clark said, looking embarrassed.

Lex pushed down the flare of anger. Jonathan Kent was not a man who would accept charity, and Lex shouldn’t take offense. “I’m sorry to hear that. I just wanted to thank you,” Lex said, accepting the keys.

“Well, maybe a nice dinner sometime,” Clark said with a grin.

“Any time,” Lex said.

“Did you buy Buffy one, too?” Clark asked.

“I would’ve if I knew where she lived,” Lex said.

“With your contacts, you couldn’t find out?” Clark asked in surprise.

“I thought about it. I gathered Miss Summers is a student in Metropolis, but there’s more than one school,” Lex said. 

“She is going to Metropolis University. She’s a psychology major,” Clark said. “She’s going to be moving to Smallville with her younger sister by next semester. She’s starting a mentoring program at the high school. That’s how I met her.”

Lex realized that Clark was full of useful information. “Well, that’s good to know. I’d like to thank her. Do you think she’d be upset if I tracked her down? Some women get freaked out if a man finds out where they live. I don’t want her to think I’m some creep or stalker,” Lex said with a rueful smile.

“She seemed pretty strong and independent. I would think she’d be flattered someone like you would go through all the effort,” Clark said. “Maybe don’t go to her house. Find her on campus. In public will take away the creep factor.”

“Good idea,” Lex said. “Thanks for the advice, Clark. I appreciate it.”

“Thanks for the truck. I’m sorry that I can’t keep it,” Clark said regretfully.

“Thanks for saving my life, Clark. I won’t ever forget that,” Lex said sincerely.

After Clark left, he picked up the phone. The young teen had a point. It was time he found his beautiful savior.

***** _The Next Day*****_

Buffy was coming out of her last class and found a familiar bald head sitting on a bench outside her classroom building. Curious, Buffy walked toward him.

“Mr. Luthor? What are you doing here?” she asked him.

Lex smiled up at her. “Hello. I was hoping to see you again,” he said.

“Is that why you’re staking out my classroom building?” Buffy said both flattered and concerned.

“Well, I wanted to thank you in person for saving my life. Clark mentioned you were a psychology major here, so I decided to wait here and see if I could spot you coming out of the main building for psychology majors,” he said with a sheepish smile.

“I’m flattered you went through the effort,” Buffy said, caught off guard. She was rarely thanked by the people she saved. No one had ever bothered to find her to say thanks in person.

Lex smiled. “Are you done with classes? I’d like to take you to dinner to show my thanks,” he said.

“That’s not necessary,” Buffy said, waving off his gratitude.

“You know Clark gave back the truck I bought him and now you don’t want me to take you to a measly dinner. What’s a guy got to do to show his gratitude?” Lex asked with a rueful smile.

“You bought Clark a car?” Buffy asked. “How much money do you have?”

“You don’t know? That’s usually the only thing people know about me and whatever bull the gossip rags print,” Lex said, genuinely surprised.

“I don’t keep up with celebrity gossip or most news,” Buffy admitted. “Unless the world’s ending, I don’t really want to know. I’m busy with school.”

Lex found her very refreshing and was more interested by the minute. “Do you have time for dinner?” he asked.

“Buffy!” a voice called out.

Lex watched her face transform. The brilliance of her smile struck him mute. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the recipient of the smile. A man was walking toward Buffy. As he got closer, Lex was startled by the man’s appearance. He had dark hair in need of a cut and a black eye patched that matched his black leather jacket. A teenage girl was next to him.

Buffy moved to embrace the girl. “I didn’t know you guys were coming!” she exclaimed.

“The Dawnster missed the Buffster, so I decided to bring her to see you since I missed you, too,” the man said. Buffy gave him a long hug. Lex watched their interaction carefully. Was he her lover? When she didn’t kiss him, he doubted it.

“Who’s your friend?” Dawn asked, eying the guy curiously.

“Oh!” Buffy said, having forgotten Lex in her excitement. “I’m sorry, Lex Luthor. Xander, Dawn, this is Lex. Lex, this is my sister and best friend, Xander. My sister’s been living overseas and recently moved back to the states. They came in from Ohio.”

Lex held out his hand, smiling. “It’s nice to meet you. Is Xander short for Alexander?” he asked Xander.

Xander nodded. “Yep. Alexander Lavelle Harris at your service,” Xander said, giving a short bow.

“I thought so,” Lex said. “That’s my full name, too. Except for Lavelle, of course.”

“It’s a good name,” Buffy said, smiling. 

“Are you a student here?” Dawn asked in her usual frank manner.

“No, I live in Smallville,” he said.

“He came to thank me,” Buffy said. 

“She saved my life a week ago. Pulled me out of a car in the river,” Lex said.

“Buffy’s good at the savage,” Xander said with a grin.

“You came all the way here to thank her? Wow, that’s so cool!” Dawn exclaimed, impressed.

“He wanted to buy me dinner. Can you believe that?” Buffy said, smiling warmly at Lex.

“That’s so sweet!” Dawn gushed.

Lex preened under the girls’ looks of admiration. He wasn’t used to admiration for himself and not his last name.

Xander rolled his eye. “Buying dinner isn’t that big of deal. I buy dinner for you all the time!” Xander said.

Buffy giggled. “Very true,” she acknowledged. She turned to Lex. “Maybe we can take a raincheck on dinner?”

Dawn, ever the matchmaker, said, “If you live in Smallville, maybe tomorrow you can give us a tour? Then you can feed us lunch!”

Lex smiled. “It’d be my pleasure,” he said. He handed Buffy his card. “Call me when you decide on a time.”

They said goodbye and watched him leave.

“He seemed nice,” Dawn said with a grin.

“Yeah,” Buffy agreed. She looked down at the card. Xander snatched it from her. “Hey!”

“Luthorcorp. I knew his name sounded familiar,” Xander said, frowning. “His dad is pretty notorious in development circles.”

“Well, he can’t help who his dad is,” Dawn said.

“Don’t I know it,” Xander said. “I’m just saying you should keep in mind who he learned his business practices from if he’s working for his dad.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Buffy said.

“So tell us about this save?” Dawn asked.

“I will after Xander feeds me!” Buffy said with a grin. She threw her arm around Xander’s waist, very happy to see him as she missed him a lot.

_*****The Next Day*****_

Clark was at the Farmer’s Market with his parents when he spotted a familiar face. It was Lex. He grinned when he saw Buffy with Lex. “He must’ve took my advice,” Clark said.

“What’s that, son?” Jonathan asked.

“I see Lex over there with Buffy,” Clark said, pointing. Lex spotted him and began to direct Buffy his way.

“Good to see you, Lex,” Clark said, smiling. “You, too, Buffy.”

Buffy grinned up at him. “This is fantastic! All this food! Makes me hungry!” she exclaimed.

“After that giant breakfast you had, I can’t believe you could possibly be hungry,” Lex said, laughing. He’d been very happy to have Buffy call him late the night before to make plans this morning. They’d had breakfast at a small diner downtown, where they’d met. Dawn had been very excited that there was a small theatre in the town even if it didn’t play new releases.

“I have a very high metabolism,” Buffy said. “How are you, Clark? Mr. Kent?”

“We’re great,” Clark said. “This is my mom, Martha Kent.”

Buffy held out her hand. “Buffy Summers. You have quite a brave son. You must be proud,” Buffy said.

“I am,” Marth said, smiling at her son.

Dawn gave her sister a pointed look. She wanted the very hot guy to know who she was. 

“Oh, Clark, this is my sister, Dawn. She will be a student at your school next semester. Dawn, Clark,” Buffy introduced.

Clark gave her a warm smile and Dawn melted. He was so gorgeous! “What grade will you be in?” he asked.

“Junior. You?” she asked.

“Sophomore,” he said.

“Clark, maybe you can join us in a few hours for lunch? I’m going to take them around a few spots,” Lex said.

Clark looked at his mom, who gave him an encouraging smile. “Okay,” he said. “Thanks.”

“The more the merrier,” Buffy said. She looked at the produce with interest. “We will be eating so much better when we live here!”

Martha smiled. “I hope to see you when you do settle into town,” she said.

“Thanks!” Buffy said. They said goodbye.

“She seemed nice,” Martha said.

“Buffy? Yes, she is,” Clark said.

“Actually, I was referring to her sister,” Martha said, smiling. “She was quite lovely.”

“Yes, she was,” Clark said. He had noticed. The girl might even have been prettier than Lana. “She’s a lot taller than Buffy. They don’t look much alike.”

“That’s how it works with siblings. Sometimes siblings look identical. Sometimes not,” Martha said. “I’m impressed that someone has tiny as Buffy was so quick to save Lex.”

“She’s stronger than she looks,” Clark said. She was also pretty fast since she had come out of nowhere and saved him from Lex’s car. Clark had a feeling that life around this woman would never been boring.

***** _Early Afternoon*****_

They were eating lunch, sharing a few basic stories—nothing too personal. Mostly, Xander was telling stories of his summer in Africa. He hadn’t gotten up early enough to join them for breakfast and was just now joining them.

Finally, though, Dawn couldn’t refrain from asking Lex a very personal question.

“So, Lex, can I ask you something?” Dawn asked. She was sitting next to her sister, across from Lex and Clark while Xander sat at the end. 

“No, Dawn, you can’t,” Buffy said, giving her a pointed glare.

Since Lex was an only child, he didn’t know any better and smiled. “Sure,” he said.

“Don’t say that I didn’t warn you,” Buffy said in resignation.

“Most guys your age—at least most white guys—don’t go for the bald look. Ever thought of growing your hair out?” Dawn asked.

Clark’s eyes widened in surprise. He threw Lex an embarrassed look that Xander and Buffy caught, but Dawn, as usual, was oblivious to. 

“Dawn!” Buffy exclaimed, mortified.

Lex’s smile didn’t waver. “It’s all right. I’m not upset,” he said. “Actually, Dawn, I’d love to grow hair if I could. However, I was in Smallville when the meteors hit eleven years ago. I almost died and all my hair was gone. Since then, my hair hasn’t grown a bit, nor have I been sick a day.”

“Really?” Dawn asked, fascinated. 

“I spent a lot of years being ridiculed and picked on over it, but I’ve learned to accept it,” Lex said.

“I bet Willow could fix you,” Dawn said.

Buffy elbowed her. “Shut it!” she said, through clenched teeth. She leaned over and whispered in Dawn’s ear.

“We just met these people. We can’t start telling them about witches and magic,” Buffy said in a low whispered.

Clark’s eyes widened as he could hear Buffy’s words. What? Magic? Witches? Were they for real?

“Who’s Willow?” Lex asked.

“She’s just a very gifted friend. Xander and I went to high school with her. She’s our best friend and extremely intelligent. She’s been known to do the impossible,” Buffy said.

Lex looked at Xander. “What about you?” he asked. “What happened to your eye?”

Xander looked at Buffy before replying. “I pissed off a serial killer who was trying to kill Buffy. He put his thumb through it,” he said bluntly.

Both Clark and Lex were noticeably shocked at his frank admission.

“You’re joking,” Lex said, unable to believe the tale.

Buffy gave Xander a fond look. “He’s always been my White Knight,” she said. “Unfortunately, he doesn’t jest. Caleb was a real misogynist. He’s dead now, so justice was served.”

“That’s awful! I’m sorry you had to go through something like that,” Clark said with sympathy.

“You know what they say, ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ I’ve discovered there’s not much I can’t survive. Even death,” Buffy said, adding a smile, so the guys weren’t sure how serious she was.

“How do you survive death?” Lex asked, finding her more and more fascinating.

“Xander lost his eye less than a year ago, but when he was sixteen, he saved my life for the first time,” Buffy shared. “I mentioned that I drowned. I was legally dead for a few minutes until Xander performed CPR on me.”

Lex gave Xander a look of admiration. “A white knight indeed,” he said.

Xander looked embarrassed and brushed it off. “I did what any guy would do,” he said dismissively.

Lex put his hand on Clark’s shoulder. “Sounds like you and Clark have a lot in common,” Lex said.

“So where to next?” Dawn asked, hoping to change the direction of the conversation. She didn’t like thinking about Caleb or any of Buffy’s deaths.

“The Talon’s playing a showing of _Casablancas_ at two,” Clark suggested.

Buffy smiled. “I love that movie. We used to watch it with our mother,” Buffy said.

“She would totally go if she was here,” Dawn said, sharing a bittersweet smile with Buffy.

“Maybe when she comes for a visit, we can have Lana play it again,” Lex suggested.

“Our mom’s dead,” Dawn said in that blunt manner teenagers often have.

“Brain aneurysm after a tumor removal a few years ago,” Buffy explained.

“I’m sorry. I lost my mother years ago,” Lex said with sympathy. “Life just isn’t the same without our mothers.” Another layer peeled away, and it seemed they had more in common with each layer.

“I’m adopted, so I never met my real parents. But Mom and Dad are great,” Clark said.

“Adopted?” Dawn asked with interest. “I’ve never met anyone that was adopted. What’s that like?”

“How about you stop with the personal and invasive questions?” Buffy said with a glare. She saw the waiter. “Check!”

Buffy managed to get her hand on the check before Lex. “This is on me. You sprung for breakfast,” Buffy said.

Lex couldn’t have been more surprised. No one had ever bought his lunch besides his father. “Well, thanks,” he said, wanting to protest. However, he felt that this woman was very strong and independent, and she wouldn’t appreciate his protest.

As they walked down the sidewalk, Clark fell into step with Dawn. “So, Clark, do you have a girlfriend?” Dawn boldly asked. He might be a year younger than her, but he was so gorgeous and nice. 

“No,” he said.

“Really?” Dawn asked surprised. “How does a guy as nice and good-looking as you stay single?”

Clark blushed. “Well, the only girl I have liked never noticed me that way. I guess I never met anyone else that interests me,” he admitted. He was surprised that he felt so comfortable with this girl. She was quite beautiful herself. However, Clark didn’t feel a real attraction for her. 

“Clark?” a voice said.

“Hello, Miss Sullivan,” Lex said.

“Hey, Miss Summers. Mr. Luthor,” Chloe said, frowning. What was Buffy doing with Clark? Why was Clark with her dad’s boss?

“Hi, Chloe,” Clark said, knowing the question on her mind. “This is Buffy’s sister Dawn. The one that will be in our school next year.”

Chloe gave the strikingly beautiful girl a warm smile. “Nice to meet you. I’m Chloe Sullivan. The guys here will flip when they see you,” she said.

“Cause I’m so weird looking?” Dawn asked, grinning.

“No, because you’re so beautiful. Probably even prettier than Lana Lang,” Chloe said, looking at the taller girl with interest. She looked at her much shorter sister. “You, too, don’t look much alike.”

Dawn snickered. “You actually look more like her than I do!” Dawn observed, looking between Chloe and Buffy.

Clark and Lex both looked at the two girls. “You may have a point,” Lex said.

Xander grinned. “That would explain a lot!” he exclaimed, totally amused by the idea. 

“Both blonde and short. Both have greenish colored eyes and a pert nose,” Clark said. “Yep.”

“Dawn, I forgot to tell you,” Buffy said, touching her arm and looking very serious. “You were switched at birth.”

Because Dawn’s origins were so mystical and insane, the humor behind Buffy’s claim struck her strongly, and she burst out laughing. “I wish!” she exclaimed. Then looked guilty for saying the W word. “Do you want to join us? We’re going to the movies.”

“Sure,” Chloe said, falling into step next to Dawn.

“Oh, the scary eye patch guy is Xander,” Dawn said with a grin. When Xander tried to glower at her, she giggled.

Chloe could tell that the man with one eye wasn’t very menacing.

Buffy smiled to see Dawn already making friends and resumed her walk between Lex and Xander. Lex was a very nice man, who hadn’t bored her all day. She spent so little time around men who weren’t involved in the supernatural. It was nice to just have a normal day and be seen as normal. In her classes at school, she was able to pretend. Rarely, though, could she be with Dawn or Xander without the supernatural involved somehow.

“This is nice,” Buffy said.

“It really is,” Xander said, enjoying the down time. They didn’t get enough of this. For Buffy’s sake, he was glad that she’d taken time to create a life for herself. If anyone had earned it, it was her. Sometimes, he wished that for himself. However, she had so fundamentally altered him at his core. He could never be satisfied with just a nine to five job, a wife and kid. He may have all three one day, but he’d be doing his part to save the world one soul at a time whenever he could.

“I’m glad you like it,” Lex said. “It’s growing on me.” He smiled at Buffy, one of the two that he felt the beginning of a friendship with. Making friends was never easy with him. Men especially saw him as a threat. Normally, he’d see Xander as a rival for Buffy’s affection. However, he’d watched the two of them closely. There was no sexual tension between them as they acted like siblings or close friends. Xander’s willingness to risk his own life for Buffy filled Lex with admiration. There were so few men alive today that Lex felt he could genuinely admire and respect.

He hoped that this would mark the beginning of real friendship with both of them. With Buffy, he’d hope for more. However, he sensed that she wasn’t like other girls. He couldn’t impress her with his money or flashy cars. This would take some time.

Since she was moving soon to Smallville, he’d have all the time he needed.

****** _Chapter End******_

_Yes, I know that the Talon was probably not open yet in this timeline or serving full meals, but I am using it anyway. Reviews are the best part of my day, so take a minute and share one!_


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